By Elizabeth Osayande

Cobra Beer founder Lord Bilimoria CBE DL, TV presenter Daisy Donovan, Booker-shortlisted author Trezza Azzopardi, and a British government minister have praised the debut novel “Freebourne” by politician and journalist Salman Shaheen. BAFTA-winning director Sarah Gavron describes it as “impossible to put down.”

Published by Roundfire Books, the fiction imprint of Collective Ink owned by Watkins Media, Freebourne will be released on October 28. Since becoming available for pre-order in the UK, it has quickly ascended to the ranks of Amazon bestsellers, debuting at N54 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases and N13 among new thrillers, surpassing new works from Martina Cole and Ken Follett. The novel is now also available for pre-order in Nigeria on Kobo.

Overview of Freebourne
Set in an idyllic English town of the near future, Freebourne is a murder mystery thriller with a speculative edge that explores significant questions about free will and the relentless pace of technological advancement.

The story follows Dr. Harry Coulson, a divorced and unemployed MindTech entrepreneur who seeks a fresh start after discovering his wife’s affair with his best friend and business partner. However, upon arriving in the picturesque town of Freebourne, his hopes for a quiet life are shattered when he finds the body of a young woman lying in the snow as if left there for him to discover.

Harry’s attempts to help lead him to become a suspect in her murder. He soon finds himself entwined in a dangerous game involving science, faith, and free will—confronting secrets far darker and more terrifying than he could have ever anticipated.

Renowned film director Sarah Gavron, who directed stars like Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw, and Meryl Streep in Suffragette, remarked:
“From the moment we step onto the cobbled streets of a future all too close to our own, we are invited to unravel the mystery of Freebourne. It’s impossible to put down.”

Lord Bilimoria CBE DL stated:
Freebourne by Salman Shaheen is a standout debut. Shaheen explores the intersection of technology, morality, and justice with incredible nuance. The story grips you with its suspense while offering profound commentary on the human condition. With unforgettable characters, Freebourne is a thought-provoking and exhilarating read that keeps you hooked from start to finish—a truly compelling work from an extraordinary new voice.”

TV presenter, actress, and writer Daisy Donovan added: Freebourne is a spectacular, heart-in-the-mouth ride that left me thinking long after an ending I never saw coming.”

Author Trezza Azzopardi, nominated for the Booker Prize for The Hiding Place, commented: “This is definitely a thinking reader’s thriller. I was delighted to discover this wasn’t a run-of-the-mill procedural, but rather a rich and complex story with such a shocking twist at the end that I was genuinely unprepared for it. It’s the kind of revelation that encourages re-reading to uncover any subtle hints the author may have embedded throughout.

“It’s an intelligent narrative, particularly in the way the big secret is revealed. I also appreciated how Salman Shaheen weaves politics, philosophy, religion, and science into such a fast-paced story, reminiscent in its complexity of Barbara Vine’s novels: grisly, shocking, darkly funny, with numerous twists and turns.”

Seema Malhotra MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office, remarked: “Salman Shaheen’s mind-bending, speculative thriller, with its richly drawn world and characters, will have you racing to the denouement, culminating in a twist that will knock you sideways. You won’t be able to put it down.”

Who is Salman Shaheen?
Salman Shaheen is a British politician, journalist, and novelist known for his contributions to the Guardian, New Statesman, New Internationalist, and Times of India. He frequently provides commentary on politics and economics through television and radio. His exclusive exposés on corporate tax avoidance have garnered front-page coverage in the Observer and have been highlighted by the Financial Times and the Telegraph.

Shaheen initiated “Grow for the Future,” the UK’s first-ever policy aimed at transforming wasteland into community gardens for urban children in underprivileged areas to grow food and learn about sustainability and biodiversity. This policy, launched in the London Borough of Hounslow, has received backing from the UK government and the Greater London Authority and gained support from Jim Carter OBE of Downton Abbey. He also collaborated with Jamie Oliver to launch the chef’s first-ever food education program for primary schools aimed at combating childhood obesity.

Additionally, Salman played a crucial role in the successful campaign to save Park Road Allotments, a century-old wildlife haven.

Expressing delight over the book prospect, the author of Freebourne, Shaheen, explained: “I’m delighted that Freebourne is now available for pre-order in Nigeria, and I can’t wait to see what readers think of it.

“I’ve always been drawn to dark, speculative stories that shock you sufficiently to question the pace of technology we take for granted and what it means for the human condition. Anything from Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go to Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror.

“But one piece of advice I received early on, from my late friend and mentor Jill Paton Walsh CBE: ‘If you want to try and say something meaningful about the world, you should smuggle it in a murder mystery.’ And thus Freebourne was born as a somewhat genre-defying thriller.”